PreShow Jitters
by serahrose
Summary: The latest East High musical is fast approaching, and Troy is working backstage. What will happen when he meets Stacy, Ryan and Sharpay's theatre-mad cousin, who is in town for a visit, has taken a liking to him and is helping with the show too? R&R!
1. Enter Stacy Evans, Stage Right

**Disclaimer**: I do not own High School Musical nor any of the characters (with the exception of Stacy Evans. She's mine). I only take credit for the plot of this fanfiction.

**Chapter 1** - Enter Stacy Evans, Stage Right

East High was crawling with freaks. That was obvious. Stacy Evans stood just inside the main door of the school, waiting for her cousins, Ryan and Sharpay, to meet her. School had finished for the day around an hour ago and people were still walking around, heading to and from meetings, or the library, or wherever people went after classes. Stacy scoffed. Everyone she saw was just so _weird_. There was no other way to describe them! Some were sporting messy hair-do's, some were wearing clothes much too large for their bodies...she had even caught sight of one guy wearing a striped button-up shirt (complete with pocket protector!), pants several inches too short for his long spindly legs, and suspenders. Bright green suspenders. Stacy had nearly gagged at the sight of him. Surely this type of individuality would never be allowed at her private school back in Florida.

Stacy had come to Albuquerque for two weeks with her father, Ryan and Sharpay's uncle, while he was on business in town. It had been ages since she had seen her cousins, but the school they went to, in Stacy's opinion, left a lot to be desired. _Good thing I don't have to go here! _Stacy reminded herself, looking at the huge clock in the foyer. Ryan and Sharpay had promised to meet her at 4:30, as soon as the rehearsal for their spring musical let out. It was now 4:45. _They're late!_ Stacy muttered, crossing her arms and tapping her high-heeled foot on the linoleum.

* * *

"Stacy!"

A shrill cry rang from the auditorium door a few minutes later. Stacy looked over to see her older cousins, her favourite people in the world, standing in the doorway.

"Shar_pay_! _Ry_an!" Stacy screeched, over-emphasizing syllables the way she always did when she talked. She ran over to greet the twins and kissed them both once on each cheek. "Oh, how have you _been_? It's been _way_ too long!" she asked.

"Oh fine, darling, just fine," Sharpay told her, slipping her arm through Stacy's, "our drama club got completely taken oven for the winter musical this year but we bounced back..."

"...as _al_ways!" Stacy interjected, smiling.

Sharpay grinned. "...as always, of course, and the spring musical is going to be the best show East High has ever seen! I'm so glad you're going to be here for it, Stacy."

Stacy was just as big a theatre person as her cousins were, and it just so happened that her father's business trip to Albuquerque coincided with Ryan and Sharpay's show. She had been delighted at the chance to come and watch it, and maybe even help out backstage. Stacy grinned widely.

"So am _I_ !" she said. Just then, someone knocked her shoulder roughly as they hurried past her at high speed.

"Sorry about that!" the boy called without looking back, obviously in a great rush to get somewhere. He was wearing a red and white basketball practice jersey and white speakers. His dark hair seemed to sit perfectly on his head, even as he ran, and gleamed in the light.

_Wow_, Stacy thought, _this guy _**definitely**_ isn't a freak!_

Sharpay noticed the dazed look on her cousin's face and laughed.

"Don't even try it, Stacy," she began, "that's Troy Bolton: basketball star supreme turned _actor_" (at the word "actor" she made quotation marks in the air with her free hand and seemed to spit the word out as though it was acidic) "and currently taken. He's working lights in our show this time since Ryan aced him out of the part he wanted." Ryan beamed at these words and puffed out his chest.

_Troy Bolton..._ Stacy thought to herself, _I don't care if you _are_ taken. I think it's time to introduce myself to you!" _

With an evil chuckle, Stacy walked out the doors of East High with her cousins, getting the feeling that she was going to enjoy her stay in Albuquerque, and her visits to East High, a lot more than she'd bargained for.

* * *

So what do you think? Need I write more?

Any and all feedback is hugely appreciated. I'll give you cookies!

Well, maybe not. I'm a poor university student, so all I can promise is my unconditional love and that I'll read and review your stuff as well.

Thanks guys:)


	2. Setting the Stage

**Disclaimer**: I do not own High School Musical nor any of the characters (with the exception of Stacy Evans. She's mine). I only take credit for the plot of this fanfiction.

**Previous Chapter Recap**

_Troy Bolton..._ Stacy thought to herself, _I don't care if you _are_ taken. I think it's time to introduce myself to you!" _

With an evil chuckle, Stacy walked out the doors of East High with her cousins, getting the feeling that she was going to enjoy her stay in Albuquerque, and her visits to East High, a lot more than she'd bargained for.

**Chapter 2** - Setting the Stage

The next day was only two days before the opening night of the show. Stacy watched the cast of "Always and Forever" rehearse a scene on stage while she watched from the front row of the auditorium, critically analysing the talents of the actors. Of course Ryan and Sharpay could not be surpassed by anyone; Stacy hadn't expected that. Some of the people on the stage, though, so obviously did _not_ deserve to be there. There was one girl who had the vocal range of a thumbtack and had somehow ended up with a solo; another girl tripped as she was crossing the stage, started sweating profusely and had to run off to get a towel; and a short, chubby guy kept forgetting his lines and messing up everyone else's.

_Wow_, Stacy thought to herself from her seat, _these people are _use_less! I could _definitely_ show them how it's done. I don't even know the _lines_ and I could do a better job than they're doing!_ With a smirk, she got up out of her seat and walked towards the stage, walking up the three steps to get to one of the side entrances. She didn't wait, however, for the action on stage to stop, but instead waltzed out into the centre with her hands on her hips, stopping everyone in mid-scene. Sharpay and Ryan were the only ones who looked remotely pleased that this petite 14-year-old blonde girl had just walked onto the stage.

"Stacy! It's so good to have you up here with us!" Sharpay cried happily.

"What the - ?" the guy who kept missing his cues cried from where he was standing upstage centre. "Who's she?" he demanded of Sharpay.

Ryan interjected, poking his head out from behind Sharpay (for some reason, he always ended up getting stuck standing behind her in any scene they did together). "She's our cousin, Stacy." he told everyone. This didn't do anything to lighten the mood. Stacy looked around and stage and beamed at everyone but the rest of the cast, including Ms. Darbus who was standing down in the front and had only just noticed that Stacy had walked onto her precious theatrical space, was glaring at her with something close to loathing on their faces. Suddenly, the group broke out into raucous chatter.

"Why the heck is she up here?"

"Does she even go to this school?"

"This is _our show_!"

"But I don't understand - !"

To put an end to the endless cries of frustration and confusion from the cast, Mr. Darbus clapped her hands twice. This did nothing to quiet everyone down, however, so she tried it again. No dice. Getting truly frustrated now, Ms. Darbus put her hands to her mouth and screamed,

"QUIET DOWN THIS INSTANT OR EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU IS CUT FROM THIS PERFORMANCE!"

That did the job. Now the attention of the actors, and even the members of the crew who had been mumbling their displeasure at this whole scene from backstage and had just poked their heads out past the curtain, turned to Ms. Darbus, who looked as formidable as ever in billowing layers of clothing in every colour of the rainbow and at least ten necklaces dangling from her neck.

"Now, dear," Ms. Darbus began, directing her conversation at Stacy, who had not moved from her spot on the stage. The wide, phony smile was still plastered onto her face. "Who exactly are you?"

"She's **not** exactly supposed to be on the stage!" came the voice of Troy Bolton from the back of the auditorium near the main doors. He had just stepped out of the lighting and sound booth where he had been watching the entire spectacle unfold. His arms were crossed but he did not look overly angry. Just annoyed. "Come here." he said to Stacy, whose bright, shiny smile was finally wiped from her face, only to be replaced by a subtle grin.

"Okay," she began, "I'll be _right_ there." With that, she left the stage and walked up the aisle of the auditorium to where Troy was standing, everyone on stage watching her in total silence as she walked.

Ms. Darbus got the attention of her actors once more and the rehearsal resumed, although Cue Boy and Sweaty Chick were still complaining loudly between lines.

"You're the girl I bumped into yesterday, right?" Troy asked as Stacy reached him.

"Yep! That was me," Stacy confirmed, arching one eyebrow (she was very good at this and had used it often in her quest to get something she wanted) and still grinning, "I'm surprised you remembered. You didn't look back at me."

Troy laughed heartily. "Well," he said, "I saw you from the back as I was running toward you and you were standing with Ryan and Sharpay, so I just put two and two together when I saw you on the stage just now. What's your name?"

"Stacy. Stacy Evans." the blonde girl told him, using her attempted "sexy voice" and twisting a lock of her golden hair around her finger as she spoke.

"Nice to meet you. I'm..." Troy began, extending his hand, clearly missing the flirtatious hair twirling.

"I _know_ who you are," Stacy interjected, "Troy _Bol_ton." Troy was more than slightly confused. He'd only ever spoken three words in his entire life to this girl before today, and she knew his name? Freaky. He decided against asking her exactly how she knew what his name was, assuming (or more like hoping, since any other explanation she could possibly have given would have been completely creepy) that Sharpay or Ryan must have told her. Hand still extended, Troy stood looking at Stacy, waiting for her to shake it, or speak again, or do _something_. As it was, though, she just stood there gazing at him with the same enigmatic facial expression.

"Are you all right?" Troy felt compelled to ask.

"Of _course_ I am, Troy," Stacy said, laughing in exactly the same manner that Sharpay always did, "so what did you want me to come up here for, anyway?"

"Well actually, I was just trying to get you off the stage. You were distracting the actors and Ms. Darbus was getting pretty ticked off. She's not the greatest person to cross, if you know what I mean." Troy told Stacy, finally dropping his hands and jamming both of them into his jeans pockets.

"So you didn't actually _want_ me for anything?" Stacy asked, batting her long, dark eyelashes in Troy's direction. Again, Troy missed the shameless flirting, and was just confused.

"Uh...no. Was I supposed to?" he asked.

Stacy giggled again and said playfully, "Oh _I_ don't know, Troy, that's really for _you_ to decide!" Finally realizing that her outrageously obvious flirting was getting her absolutely nowhere, Stacy changed the subject. If her plan to get acquainted with Troy Bolton was going to be put into action any time soon, she'd have to start making her move. "So Ryan and Sharpay tell me you're working the lights for the show, is that right?" she asked.

Troy nodded. "Yup. I don't have a lot of experience with lighting but for this show it's pretty basic, so I think I can handle it. I'm helping out a bit backstage, too - painting sets and stuff. I got a lot of practice at that in detention with Ms. Darbus in the winter."

Stacy wasn't really listening. She wanted to get straight to the point. "Well, Troy, I was wondering, since I'm in town for two weeks and I'm a bit of a - how shall I put this? - _theatre expert_ back home, would you like _me_ to help you out? You must have a lot on your plate with the show going up so _soon_!"Again with the hair-twirling.

Troy shrugged. "Sure," he said, "I wouldn't mind an extra hand. As long as it's cool with Darbus, it's cool with me."

Stacy squealed. "_Fab_ulous!" she cried, clapping her hands and doing a kind of mini-jump. "I can't _wait_ to work with you."

* * *

...And there you have it, folks! Chapter two!

As of now, the only person who gets cookies for reviewing the previous chapter is **Tortall Tribe Freak**. Yay for you! Thanks for the review; I'm glad you're enjoying this.

Please r & r if you have two spare seconds, guys! I'd really appreciate it. :)


	3. Flubbed Lines and Rejection

**Disclaimer**: I do not own High School Musical nor any of the characters (with the exception of Stacy Evans. She's mine). I only take credit for the plot of this fanfiction.

**Previous Chapter Recap**

Stacy wasn't really listening. She wanted to get straight to the point. "Well, Troy, I was wondering, since I'm in town for two weeks and I'm a bit of a - how shall I put this? - _theatre expert_ back home, would you like _me_ to help you out? You must have a lot on your plate with the show going up so _soon_!"Again with the hair-twirling.

Troy shrugged. "Sure," he said, "I wouldn't mind an extra hand. As long as it's cool with Darbus, it's cool with me."

Stacy squealed. "_Fab_ulous!" she cried, clapping her hands and doing a kind of mini-jump. "I can't _wait_ to work with you."

—

**Chapter 3** - Flubbed Lines and Rejection

"All right, Stacy, come on in and I'll teach you the ropes." Troy said to Stacy the next afternoon. They had agreed to meet up at the lighting and sound booth in the auditorium a few minutes before the "Always and Forever" rehearsal began, so he could teach her some of what he knew before the dress rehearsal the next day. Stacy positively skipped into the booth with Troy and closed the door behind her as she entered. "Okay," Troy began, "so the first thing I should probably show you..."

But Stacy wasn't listening to him at all. She stared at him as he talked, watching him point out the different switches and other controls on the lighting board, but she wasn't paying attention to a single word he said. After all, she really didn't care about lights. Besides, she'd been involved with her own school's drama club long enough now that _surely_ she knew a thing or two about stage lighting if the worst came to the worst.

"Troy," Stacy interrupted, "I was _wondering_, do you have a _girl_friend?" She already knew the answer to this, because according to Ryan and Sharpay he was already taken, but she felt it best to pretend she didn't know anything. Troy looked semi-confused. What kind of a question was that for Stacy to be asking? Why would she possibly care about his love life? He went back to explaining different types of lighting washes but Stacy merely crossed her arms and kept looking at him in a strange way. "Well?" Stacy spoke again, "_Do_ you?" Now Troy was getting a little bit freaked out. _What's with this girl?_ he wondered. _She's not listening to a word I'm saying!_ He turned to look at Stacy and sighed, realizing that if he didn't answer her question she'd never shut up about it.

"For your information, yeah, I do have a girlfriend. Her name is Gabriella. We were the lead characters in the winter musical this year." Troy said. Stacy pretended to look crestfallen. She was, after all, a good actor. She didn't care whether or not Troy had a girlfriend; all she cared about was breaking them up.

—

Two hours later, rehearsal had ended, not that Stacy had watched any of it or paid attention to anything Troy had told her. She'd been too busy flirting shamelessly and asking endless questions about Gabriella. Now, as the actors left the stage and Troy dimmed the lights, Stacy planned to make her move.

"Troy?" Stacy asked innocently, folding her hands together behind her back and rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet like a little girl.

"What, Stacy?" Troy asked, exasperated. She hadn't paid any attention to him during the rehearsal and he was getting really annoyed with her. Stacy smiled up at him and leaned toward him slowly...slowly...slowly..."Gabriella!" Troy exclaimed, pushing Stacy away from him and dashing out of the booth. Stacy stumbled but caught herself before she fell down. She looked out through the clear glass window to see a pretty girl with long dark hair, olive skin and dark eyes walking up the aisle in Troy's direction. Troy ran quickly, meeting her half-way, and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Stacy saw red. _This must be the famous Gabriella Montez, _she thought to herself, hating Gabriella with every fibre of her being. She was dressed well, but not too spectacularly, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck and she was carrying an armload of books. Yes, books. Stacy rolled her eyes. _What does she have that I don't?_ she thought vindictively, opening the door to the sound booth and stepping out. Troy and Gabriella were talking animatedly a few feet away, and hadn't noticed that Stacy was standing behind them. She coughed ever so slightly and Troy turned around.

"Gabriella, this is Stacy Evans," Troy said, beckoning Stacy to come and join them, although not without a look of utter annoyance on his face, "the girl who's helping me with the lights in the show. Or supposed to be, anyway."

Stacy missed the sarcasm and spoke directly to Gabriella, putting on her most fake voice, complete with even more over-exaggerated syllables than usual. "Oh, Gabri_ella_! It's so _nice_ to meet you! Troy's told me _so much_ about you." Gabriella smiled and stuck out her hand, which, to no surprise of Troy's, Stacy did not shake.

"It's nice to meet you too, Stacy," Gabriella said, "It's great that you're giving Troy an extra hand with the show. I can't wait to see it. You're Ryan and Sharpay's cousin, right?" Stacy nodded and kept on smiling. "Yeah, they told me you were here. I was watching the show from backstage."

"So Gabriella, you ready to go? I can walk you home if you want." Troy said, slipping his arm through Gabriella's and smiling at her. Stacy thought she was going to be sick. _Oh, please!_ she thought bitterly to herself as Troy and Gabriella walked past her out of the auditorium with a quick "See ya tomorrow, Stacy!" from Troy.

Stacy couldn't believe it. This was the first time in her life that any guy she'd flirted with hadn't been turned on by her charm. Or her blonde hair. Or the fact that she was an amazingly gifted actress - at least in her opinion. Completely angry, she turned on her five-inch platform heels and pushed the main doors of the auditorium open with such force that it swung open and hit the outside wall with an almighty bang. Without even bothering to wait for Ryan and Sharpay to come out of the dressing rooms, Stacy stomped out of the main doors of East High and whipped her cell phone out of her purse to call her father to come and pick her up.

_Nobody turns _me_ down_, Stacy declared internally, _especially _not_ the likes of _you_, Troy Bolton. I'll break you and Gabriella up, just wait and see. _

—

Chapter three, ladies and gents! Hope you liked!

And again, all the cookies go to **Tortall Tribe Freak** for the lovely reviewing. Thanks muchly for reading! I brought Gabriella in, just like I promised; hope it was enough for you! There's more wonderful Gabi-ness to come, though, so don't fret. ;)

Now I'm going to get down on my knees and beg for some review love (or hate) from any of the rest of you guys. Do you love this fic? Do you hate it? Should I break my pen, crawl under the covers of my bed and never show myself in public again? Let me know!!


	4. Awkward Blocking: a Love Triangle

**Disclaimer**: I do not own High School Musical nor any of the characters (with the exception of Stacy Evans. She's mine). I only take credit for the plot of this fanfiction.

**Previous Chapter Recap**

Stacy couldn't believe it. This was the first time in her life that any guy she'd flirted with hadn't been turned on by her charm. Or her blonde hair. Or the fact that she was an amazingly gifted actress - at least in her opinion. Completely angry, she turned on her five-inch platform heels and pushed the main doors of the auditorium open with such force that it swung open and hit the outside wall with an almighty bang. Without even bothering to wait for Ryan and Sharpay to come out of the dressing rooms, Stacy stomped out of the main doors of East High and whipped her cell phone out of her purse to call her father to come and pick her up.

_Nobody turns _me_ down_, Stacy declared internally, _especially _not_ the likes of _you_, Troy Bolton. I'll break you and Gabriella up, just wait and see. _

**Chapter 4** - Awkward Blocking: a Twisted Love Triangle

The next day marked the opening performance of "Always and Forever". Stacy woke up in the bed she'd been sleeping in at Ryan and Sharpay's house and stared at the ceiling for a while, feeling the excitement that only the opening night of a show could bring her. She was so looking forward to watching her cousins do what they did best and to be helping Troy with the -

Wait.

_Troy._

The guy that Stacy was desperate to date. The one thing in the world Stacy had more of an interest in than even acting. The only person who had ever ignored her outrageous flirting.

Suddenly, Stacy's excitement turned to bitter gall in the pit of her stomach and she leapt out of bed, running at top speed toward Sharpay's bedroom down the hall. Admittedly, this was a very long hall (considering that this wing of the Evans mansion had ten bedrooms in it, and all were on the same floor) and Stacy was breathless by the time she reached Sharpay's room. Clutching at a stitch in her side from the physical effort that was so uncharacteristic of her, she knocked sharply on the pink wooden door. As it always had, and so similar to her locker at East High, this door bore a shining plaque in the shape of a star with the name "Sharpay" written in it in block letters.

"What _is it?" _Sharpay cried from inside the room. She was not a morning person.

"Sharie," Stacy called, "it's me. I need to talk to you. Let me in!"

"It's open! Geez!" Sharpay spat acidly. Oops. Stacy hadn't thought to check the doorknob. Giving it a quick turn and kicking herself mentally, she bolted into the room and jumped onto her cousins waterbed, sending Sharpay, who hadn't seen Stacy jumping due to the purple night mask covering most of her face, flying a foot in the air with an almighty screech. "Stacy!!quot; Sharpay screamed as she hit the bed again and continued to bounce a little as it stopped moving.

"I'm _sorry_, Sharie," Stacy said with an air of impatience, "but I've _got_ to talk to you. It's about Troy Bolton." Sharpay tore off her mask and looked daggers at her younger cousin.

"Troy? You're not still thinking about dating him, are you? I already told you, he's off-limits, and trust me, I don't think you're going to be able to change that." Stacy was stung. Her cousin was usually the person who could be counted upon to sugarcoat any of Stacy's major life problems, and to try and make Stacy feel better about anything that ever went wrong. Did this mean that Stacy really had no chance with Troy?

_Or,_ Stacy thought to herself as Sharpay replaced the fluffy purple mask on her face, _does it just mean that Sharpay's annoyed at being disturbed at this hour of the morning?_

With a huff, Stacy got up from the bed and stormed out of the room. If she was going to put the moves on Troy Bolton, obviously she was going to have to do it with no help from anyone else.

* * *

Later the same evening, Stacy walked away from her cousins in the foyer and walked through the main doors of the auditorium at East High. Troy had told her to come in at 6:30, an hour before the show was due to start. Since the actors were meeting in the dressing rooms at the same time for warm-ups and to change into their costumes for the opening, Ryan, Sharpay and Stacy had come to the school together. It had not been an comfortable limo (yes, limo) ride to the school, however. It was obvious that Sharpay had still not forgiven Stacy for barging in on her so early that morning, and Stacy had still not forgiven Sharpay for not being more sympathetic and helpful to her Troy plight. They spent the entire ride to school not speaking to each other, arms folded, sitting on either side of Ryan, who had looked throughly confused. Nobody had bothered to tell him what was going on between his twin sister and younger cousin, but in all honesty, he hadn't been sure he wanted to know.

So now, Stacy stepped into the lighting and sound booth with Troy, who was already there and setting things up for the pre-show music and light effects, not that they were complicated. He said hello to Stacy without looking at her, clearly still annoyed at how she had acted the previous evening. _If this girl doesn't get her act together and help me tonight, I swear... _he promised himself internally. Stacy, however, who couldn't hear his silent threat, had no intention of doing anything for Troy that could be considered "help".

* * *

Ten minutes before the show was due to begin, Troy stepped out of the booth to get himself a soda. Stacy noticed that he had offered to get one for her, albeit grudgingly, but she declined his offer, telling him that soda wasn't good for her singing voice or her figure. Rolling his eyes, Troy left the booth and disappeared from the auditorium. Stacy used this moment to open her purse and bring out a tube of sheer pink lip gloss, and a package of breath mints. She applied at least ten coats of the gloss and popped three of the mints into her mouth simultaneously. Just as she had replaced the tube of gloss and the remaining mints in her purse, the sound booth door opened and Troy stepped in. He wasn't carrying a soda.

"Troy, I _thought_ you said you were going to get a _so_da!" Stacy said in surprise, plastering a huge fake smile on her face, showing off her freshly glossed lips.

"I did get one. You can't drink anything in here, though. If anything spilled on the control panels, Ms. Darbus would freak and the school probably wouldn't be too happy about replacing the equipment in here." His words seemed to pacify Stacy and she nodded her head. They weren't, however, entirely truthful. It was true that drinking in the booth was not allowed, but Troy had just stepped out to get a bit of a break from Stacy's incessant chatter and over-emphasised words before the show started. He never had any intention of getting anything to drink, but he didn't need to let her know that.

By now, the audience was beginning to file into the auditorium and take their seats, chatting excitedly about the play. Troy dimmed the first set of house lights ever so slightly and turned to Stacy.

"You might wanna get over here, Stacy, I've got a job for you to do," he told her. She obliged and moved as close to him as she could manage, letting her left arm bump and press against his right one. Troy looked at her again, completely exasperated. "What the heck are you doing? You don't need to be that close."

Stacy giggled innocently. "I know," she told him, but she didn't back off. On the contrary, she leaned toward Troy quickly and, before he could react, kissed him full on the lips, flinging her arms around his neck at the same time. As soon as he'd gotten over the shock of what Stacy was doing and started to push her away from him, the door of the booth opened with a bang. Gabriella Montez was standing in the doorway, mouth agape, looking absolutely horrified. Troy didn't have time to get Stacyaway fromhim before Gabriella turned on her heel and ran off.

"Gabriella!" Troy exclaimed, finally managing to get Stacy out of the way, "Wait!" he dashed out of the booth, leaving Stacy, who couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied with how well that had gone, completely alone, with the show due to begin in two minutes.

* * *

And there y'go! Chapter four! :)

Huge thanks, once again, to **Tortall Tribe Freak** for the lovely review-ness. Keep 'em coming!

I estimate that this fanfic will be finished in two more chapters at the very most. I have the concept all thought up, so now all that's left to do is getting that down on paper. Unfortunately, though, that's going to have to wait a while because I'm going to be visiting with my family this weekend. I'll do whatever's in my power to get the next chapter or two up early next week.

Until then, I bid thee adieu.


	5. Near Disaster

**Disclaimer**: I do not own High School Musical nor any of the characters (with the exception of Stacy Evans. She's mine). I only take credit for the plot of this fanfiction.

**Previous Chapter Recap**

By now, the audience was beginning to file into the auditorium and take their seats, chatting excitedly about the play. Troy dimmed the first set of house lights ever so slightly and turned to Stacy.

"You might wanna get over here, Stacy, I've got a job for you to do," he told her. She obliged and moved as close to him as she could manage, letting her left arm bump and press against his right one. Troy looked at her again, completely exasperated. "What the heck are you doing? You don't need to be that close."

Stacy giggled innocently. "I know," she told him, but she didn't back off. On the contrary, she leaned toward Troy quickly and, before he could react, kissed him full on the lips, flinging her arms around his neck at the same time. As soon as he'd gotten over the shock of what Stacy was doing and started to push her away from him, the door of the booth opened with a bang. Gabriella Montez was standing in the doorway, mouth agape, looking absolutely horrified. Troy didn't have time to get Stacy off him before Gabriella turned on her heel and ran off.

"Gabriella!" Troy exclaimed, finally managing to get Stacy out of the way, "Wait!" he dashed out of the booth, leaving Stacy, who couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied with how well that had gone, completely alone, with the show due to begin in two minutes.

**Chapter 5** - Near Disaster

Instead of running after Troy and Gabriella, Stacy stayed alone in the booth, savouring her victory. She had finally managed to kiss Troy Bolton! Who cared that he had dashed off to chase his girlfriend? They were probably broken up by now anyway. Stacy smiled to herself and sighed contentedly. It had been a good night. She'd gone one step further with Troy, and "Always and Forever" was due to start any second now.

Wait.

_Oh __**no**__! The show!_ Stacy thought desperately, frantically looking all around her to see if she could find some clue as to what she was supposed to do to get the show started. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was exactly 7:30. If the show didn't start soon, the audience would start to get restless.

There was just one tiny little problem.

Stacy hadn't paid any attention to what Troy had told her about the lighting for this show, and as much as she liked to think so, she didn't have nearly enough lighting experience to pretend she did and get the show on its feet in the next thirty seconds.

* * *

"Gabriella!" Troy hollered for what felt like the millionth time, banging on the door of the girl's bathroom. Gabriella had run in there to avoid him when he refused to stop chasing her. He had to make her understand that what she had seen back in the auditorium was nothing like it looked. _I'm gonna kill Stacy when I get back there!_ Troy promised himself internally and hollered again. In his desperate attempt to get to Gabriella, Troy tried to push the door open - who cared that it was the door of the girl's washroom? - but it wouldn't budge. Gabriella must have leaned against it to stop him from doing exactly what he was trying to do. "Gabriella, come on," Troy begged, "just come out of there and let me talk to you!"

"No, Troy. I saw what you and Stacy were doing. Just leave me alone."

Troy wasn't the type of person to give up easily, though, and he pushed on the wood of the door with all his might. After a few moments of protesting from Gabriella, who now sounded as though she was crying softly, the door began to open. Then suddenly, the pressure on the other side of the door released and Troy was sent tumbling into the washroom head-first, hitting the floor with an almighty smack. Gabriella had moved and let Troy fall into the room on purpose.

Rubbing the arm that had broken his fall, Troy got to his feet and looked at Gabriella. Arms crossed and tears spilling down her cheeks, she looked ready to murder.

"Gabriella, please just let me explain." he begged. He had to make her listen. If she refused to hear him out, she would probably...

No. He didn't want to think about that.

"Don't you think it's a little late for that, Troy? Wouldn't you rather go off and play some more tonsil hockey with Stacy Evans?" Gabriella asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Her words cut Troy like a hot knife. It wasn't like her to be this cold.

Troy looked down at the floor, feeling completely ashamed. Although he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, it must have looked slightly different to his girlfriend, the love of his life, the person who meant more to him than anyone else in the entire world. He took a deep breath and spoke quietly, hoping that she would at least listen to him. "Gabriella," he began, "that kiss meant nothing. Absolutely nothing. Stacy was all over me before I had a chance to get her to back off. I was trying to push her off when you walked in."

"I wish I could believe you, Troy, but from my angle it looked pretty convincing." Gabriella said, tears flowing freely from her dark eyes.

"Gabriella!" Troy exclaimed, "Do you really think I could ever have feelings for Stacy Evans? Even if I'd never met you, she's not my type. She's annoying and flirty and she...she's Ryan and Sharpay's freaking cousin! I could never, ever be interested in _anybody_ who comes from that family!" By now, Troy was practically yelling, and gesticulating wildly with his hands. He only ever did that when he had a really important point to get across. "But besides that," he continued, calming down, "you're the only girl in my life, Gabriella. No blonde, prissy little drama queen, or anybody else, is going to change that. I love you."

At those words, Gabriella's gaze softened but the tears began to flow even more rapidly than they had done before.

"Do you really mean that, Troy?" she asked, almost in a whisper. Troy smiled.

"Of course I do." he told her. Gabriella positively beamed and threw her arms around Troy, kissing him gently. After a few moments, their kiss ended and Gabriella rested her head on Troy's chest, smiling at no one in particular.

"I'm sorry, Troy," she told him, "I should have believed you."

Troy rubbed her back gently and said, "It's all right, Gabby. I understand why you didn't."

Gabriella laughed. "Well, I guess I probably should have believed you from the start. I mean, if you were so desperate to break into the girl's bathroom and delay the start of the show, you **must** have been telling the truth, right?"

Troy's heart skipped a beat. _Oh, man. The show! _"Come on!" he exclaimed, grabbing Gabriella by the hand and leading her out of the bathroom, running at top speed.

* * *

Back in the booth, Stacy was panicking. It was 7:35 now and she could see some of the audience members looking at their watches and turning around in their seats to see what could be causing such a delay. Completely embarrassed, Stacy buried her face in her hands. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing. _I _should_ have listened to _Troy she thought miserably, _This is bad, oh this is bad...this is BAD!_

Suddenly, the sound booth's door swung open with a bang and Troy Bolton appeared there. Gabriella had left him right inside the auditorium to go and find her seat, because Troy had a show to start. He walked over to Stacy and immediately got working. He jammed a headset onto his head, pulled the tiny microphone toward his mouth, and gave the cast their two-minute call. He knew that the show would be a few minutes late starting, but nothing could be done about that now. He didn't speak to Stacy as he stood at the controls and began lowering all the house lights and bringing up the centre spotlight on the stage for the opening scene. A hush fell over the audience. The play was about to begin.

* * *

About two hours later, the curtain went down on the cast as they took their bows to end the show. The audience got to its feet and gave the performers a standing ovation. "Always and Forever" had been a hit! Troy brought up the house lights and the audience slowly began to file out of the auditorium past the ushers, Chad Danforth and Martha Cox, as they opened the door for the line of people waiting to leave.

Troy turned to Stacy and spoke to her for the first time since before she had kissed him. "Mind telling me what the heck you were thinking, Stacy?" he asked the girl, folding his arms. Stacy bit her lip nervously; she hadn't expected him to be angry with her. Hadn't he and Gabriella broken up yet?

"What_ever_ do you mean, _Troy_?" she asked in her sickly-sweet, childish voice. Troy rolled his eyes.

"You know exactly what I mean, and I've got all night, so bring it on!" he exclaimed, looking the girl directly in the eyes as she narrowed hers at his threat. This guy was nothing like any other she'd ever met before. He was completely resistant to her flirting, and obviously hadn't broken up with his girlfriend because of her. Why was he so different? "Stacy, I'm waiting for an answer," Troy told her.

"You want an answer, Troy? Here it is," Stacy began, dropping the sweet voice and taking on a much more severe one. She was not, after all, used to not getting her way, "I _liked_ you. I _wanted_ to go _out_ with you. I _thought_ I had a _chance_ with you," Of course, she couldn't seem to do anything about her word over-emphasis, "but I guess I was wrong."

Troy couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this girl for real? "Of course you were wrong!" he exclaimed, incredulous, "I've got a girlfriend and I love her! What made you think I'd break up with Gabriella for you?" Angry tears began to form in Stacy's eyes.

"I've never had any boy turn me down. _Ever_. It never mattered to any of the guys before you that they had girlfriends; they didn't care. The minute they found out I was interested, the first girl would be kicked to the curb in about two seconds. I didn't expect it to be any different with you." Stacy's ridiculous manner of speaking was gone. Her eyes slid from Troy's face to the floor and the tears forming behind her eyes burned at the corners and threatened to leak out. Troy couldn't understand what was going on. A relative of Sharpay and Ryan Evans was showing an emotion that had nothing to do with jealousy or bitterness? Was she actually upset about this? He didn't know why, but he felt a pang of sympathy for the girl.

A very small pang, but it did exist.

"Stacy, I...I'm sorry, but I love Gabriella. The other guys you were interested in probably weren't worth your time anyway, if they were willing to dump their girlfriends for you. Maybe one of them would have done the same thing to you one day, who knows? I'm not going to do that, though. I'm different, I guess. Gabriella means more to me than anyone else and I'm sorry, but you can't change that."

Stacy was crying fully now, her shoulders shaking a little as she sobbed big, baby-like sobs. It was, frankly, a little bit embarrassing, but sort of sweet at the same time.

"That's just it," Stacy choked out between tears, "all the other guys did do that. They all dumped me for some other girl only a few weeks after they started going out with me. I sort of hoped that maybe you'd be different, even when I saw Gabriella. I thought maybe you were the type of guy who'd give me a chance and stick with me for once."

_Whoa_, thought Troy. He didn't know what he'd expected Stacy to tell him, but this wasn't it at all. It seemed like all this girl wanted was a real chance at love, and she thought she could have it with Troy. Everything about her - the phony talking, the extreme grooming, the false pride in her theatrical ability - was obviously just a front she'd put up to mask herself from getting hurt and to make everyone think that she was self-confident, even though she wasn't. Troy patted her on the shoulder, feeling very awkward. "I'm sorry," he told the crying girl. She looked up at him and gave him a watery smile.

"Thank you, Troy. I'm really sorry I tried to break up you and Gabriella, and I'm sorry I almost messed up the show." she told him, wiping gently at her tears with a silk handkerchief from her clutch.

Troy laughed, "Just lucky I got back in time, I guess. The next time somebody tries to give you tips on how to do something, do me a favour and listen to them, would ya?" he asked.

* * *

Chapter five completed! Hope you enjoyed.

This time, **Tortall Tribe Freak** gets ALL my cookies, my Easter chocolates, and ice cream as well, for the faithful reviewing. Yay for you!! :)

One more chapter to go, folks, and then "PreShow Jitters" shall be finished.


	6. Take it From the Top

**Disclaimer**: I do not own High School Musical nor any of the characters (with the exception of Stacy Evans. She's mine). I only take credit for the plot of this fanfiction.

**Previous Chapter Recap**

It seemed like all this girl wanted was a real chance at love, and she thought she could have it with Troy. Everything about her - the phony talking, the extreme grooming, the false pride in her theatrical ability - was obviously just a front she'd put up to mask herself from getting hurt and to make everyone think that she was self-confident, even though she wasn't. Troy patted her on the shoulder, feeling very awkward. "I'm sorry," he told the crying girl. She looked up at him and gave him a watery smile.

"Thank you, Troy. I'm really sorry I tried to break up you and Gabriella, and I'm sorry I almost messed up the show." she told him, wiping gently at her tears with a silk handkerchief from her clutch.

Troy laughed, "Just lucky I got back in time, I guess. The next time somebody tries to give you tips on how to do something, do me a favour and listen to them, would ya?" he asked.

* * *

**Chapter 6** - Take it From the Top

_**Three Months Later**_

The summer sun shone brightly overhead as Stacy walked around the grounds of the Evans mansion. She was back in Albuquerque for another visit, but this time she was alone. Her father hadn't come with her. It was the beginning of July, and three months had passed since the East High Spring Musical, "Always and Forever", had ended. Stacy smiled as she remembered how the rest of her trip had gone.

* * *

After opening night, Troy and Stacy did become friends. Now that Troy understood more about Stacy and why she had acted toward him the way she did, he began to like her a bit more than he originally had. That's not to say that anything changed between him and Gabriella, though. They remained as close as ever before, but Gabriella didn't mind Stacy at all, and the three of them spent some time together outside of school, usually with Ryan and Sharpay, before Stacy went back home. It had been fun. They'd seen movies, gone for walks, verbally tore several strips off Ms. Darbus (because as much as they liked her, she did have her moments), and talked about the future. None of them knew what lay ahead for them, and they probably never would, but that was okay.

Stacy and Sharpay had made up. Sharpay forgave Stacy for jumping on her in bed on the opening day of the show, and Stacy forgave Sharpay for not being more sensitive to her, ahem, needs. The two girls had gone back to being inseparable as ever.

* * *

About a week after "Always and Forever" closed, Stacy went back home with her father feeling happy and content with how her trip to Albuquerque had gone. Sure, she hadn't managed to start going out with Troy like she'd wanted, but there was no point mourning over something she never could have had in the first place. She just looked at the timing as being a few months too late.

Other than that, though, things couldn't have gone better. She left town with her father and the promise to herself that she would return in the summer for another visit.

And that's exactly what she did.

* * *

Stacy had been at Ryan and Sharpay's for a week the first time she saw Troy and Gabriella. They were walking down the sidewalk on the street at the end of the Evan's mansion driveway hand in hand, chatting animatedly and smiling at each other. Stacy grinned and ran out to the end of the driveway, tripping slightly on a rock as she picked up speed. She wanted to say hello to her friends before they passed.

Clutching at a stitch in her side, much as she had done that fateful day in the spring when "Always and Forever" had opened, she ran up behind Gabriella and Troy and tapped them both on the shoulder. They whirled around and saw Stacy there, who was now bent double and wheezing as the effort she'd used to run to them struck her and she couldn't stand up straight anymore. Laughing a little at Stacy's plight and surprised to see her standing (or slowly dying, however you wanted to look at it) behind them, they grabbed her and walked her slowly up the cobblestone footpath that led to the mansion.

"So how've you been, Stacy?" Troy asked as they approached the huge house.

"I've...been...fine. Just...wanted...to...see...you...guys...for...a...bit" Stacy choked out between pants, making a mental note to get herself in shape for the fall. The three friends had arrived at the front door of the mansion and sat down on the bottom step. Stacy caught her breath as Gabriella and Troy watched her slowly return to normal. "Sorry about that, guys," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"Were you running a marathon or something?" Gabriella asked playfully, poking Stacy in the ribs.

"Well _no_. I've never really been the most _active_ of people." Stacy told them. Troy rolled his eyes. He'd thought that her annoying way of talking had ended for good, but apparently he'd been wrong about that. He chuckled a bit as the door opened with a bang behind them.

"Hey guys," Ryan Evans' voice came from the doorway. He stepped out onto the porch and sat down next to his cousin.

"Hey Ry, what's up?" Stacy asked.

Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "Absolutely nothing. Sharpay's in one of those moods again. Something about not being able to find her favourite mini-skirt. She's yelling at the maids for sending it down to the laundry without asking her first, so I thought I'd come out here to escape the drama." Gabriella, Troy and Stacy laughed. Sharpay might have gotten a lot easier to deal with over the past six months or so, but some things never changed.

Stacy smiled at no one in particular as she thought how lucky she was, for the first time in her life, to actually be happy. She had turned to the theatre, and as many boys as she could lay her hands on, for so long to fulfill her, but now she had finally realized that she was currently surrounded by all she needed to be content.

She was ready to start her life over and do it differently this time. She would start this scene from the beginning, now that she knew the lines and the stage directions, and take it from the top.

* * *

And there you have it, ladies and gents. PreShow Jitters is all over.

I hope that even if you read this and didn't comment, that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. _High School Musical_ has had a special place in my heart for a long time now, and this was just a small tribute to it, as well as theatre in general, my other great love. :) I've truly had fun writing this and I hope that you liked reading it, whether you've read it as I've posted it or whether you'll read it in the future.

A very special thanks goes to **Tortall Tribe Freak** for reviewing every single chapter almost as soon as I put them up.

With that, friends, I bid thee adieu. Much love.


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